Dinny McGinley (Donegal South West, Fine Gael)

I note and accept the Minister's correction. I was quoting from an article in An Cosantóir which specifically stated the amount allocated to Defence had dropped from 1.6% of GNP to 0.8%.

The figure of 0.8% can be fairly misleading because it included an element of the proceeds of property sales, something we cannot depend on in future. I specifically heard the Minister say in Letterkenny last Thursday that he does not have on his agenda the proposed sale of any further barracks, so that source of revenue is drying up. Is the Minister aware that senior members of the Defence Forces have expressed concern at the reduction in revenue available to the Defence Forces? While such reductions may not have repercussions for the near future, the long-term viability and efficiency of the Defence Forces will be affected if we repeatedly continue to reduce funding.

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